Jamie Martin (American football)

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Jamie Martin
free agentNo.
Quarterback
Date of birth: February 8, 1970 (1970-02-08) (age 38)
Place of birth: Orange, California
Height:ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
National Football League debut
1996 for the St. Louis Rams
Career history
College: Weber State
Undrafted in 1993
 Teams:
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Selected NFL statistics
(through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
TD-INT     20-21
Passing yards     3,814
QB Rating     82.4
Stats at NFL.com

Jamie Blane Martin (born February 8, 1970 in Orange, California) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He played college football at Weber State.

[edit] Early years

Martin attended Arroyo Grande High School in Arroyo Grande, California. He led his team to the California Interscholastic Federation championship in 1987.

[edit] College career

Martin starred at Weber State University from 1989 to 1992. As a freshman, he played in eight games, but showed few glimpses of his future greatness. Martin struggled as he adjusted to college football; he completed just 86 of 233 passes for 1,175 yards and 9 touchdowns.

The next year (1990) was Martin’s break-out season. He completed 256 of 428 passes for 3,700 yards and 23 touchdowns. He led the NCAA Division I-AA in passing (336.4 yards per game) and total offense (337.6 yards per game). He was named to the First Team All-Big Sky Conference.

Martin followed his strong sophomore campaign with a spectacular junior year (1991). He completed 310 of 500 passes for 4,125 yards and 35 touchdowns. He again led the Division I-AA in passing (375.0 yards per game) and total offense (394.3 yards per game). With Martin at the helm, Weber State’s offense averaged 578.5 yards per game, setting a national record. Martin set Division I-AA records for pass completions (47), passing yards (624), and total offense yards (643) in a game against Idaho State. He also had a spectacular performance against Eastern Washington, throwing seven touchdown passes in that game. For his efforts, Martin was named First Team All-American and was awarded the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the top Division I-AA player in the nation.

His senior season (1992) was solid, but his statistics declined from the previous year. He finished with 282 completions in 383 attempts, totaling 3,207 yards and 20 touchdown passes. He led the Big Sky in passing (291.5 yards per game) and earned Third Team All-American honors. Martin finished his career as the all-time leader in passing (12,207 yards) and total offense (12,287 yards) in the history of Division I-AA football. His 87 career touchdown passes was a Big Sky record. He played in the 1993 East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl.

[edit] Professional career

Despite his tremendous collegiate career, Martin was not drafted into the NFL. He signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams in 1993. He spent four seasons with the Rams franchise (two in Los Angeles, two after the team moved to St. Louis). He played in nine games with the Amsterdam Admirals of the NFL Europe in 1995. He saw his first action in the NFL in 1996, playing in six games with the Rams.

He spent 1997 as third-string quarterback for the Washington Redskins before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 1998 season. He played in four games with the Jaguars; his first past attempt against Detroit went for a 67-yard touchdown. His first career start came December 13 against Tennessee, but an ACL injury in that game ended his season. He finished 1998 with 27 completions for 355 yards and two touchdowns; his final passer rating was 99.8 points. Martin joined the Cleveland Browns for the 1999 season, but spent most of the year on the inactive list. He re-joined the Jaguars in 2000, and saw limited action in five games.

From 2001 to 2005, Martin had two different stints with the Rams. He spent 2003 with the New York Jets, but didn’t play for them. He saw significant playing time with the Rams in 2002 and 2005; both times he filled in for injured quarterback Marc Bulger. Martin joined the Saints in 2006 and has served as a backup to Drew Brees since then. His career totals are 3,814 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions.

Preceded by
Walter Dean
Walter Payton Award Winner
1991
Succeeded by
Michael Payton